Simply put, chronic unfaithfulness to appointments is dishonesty and is reflective of character. When it permeates society, the damage done can be incalculable - iTimePunchPlus

 

Punishing the Punctual
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

There is a lot of big talk about reforms. The tendency is to go for the big hit. Thus, the sweeping rhetoric about reforms, governance, accountability and development.

But the core issue simply may be getting some of the basics right, like being on time and keeping commitments.

People take their cues from the top. When the upper echelon is tardy, the lower-ranks follow suit. The great historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun pointed out that people tend to copy and emulate the dominant classes.

Lahore at this time is awash in weddings -- a good occasion to parade punctuality or the lack thereof. Veteran wedding attendees will vouch for how the punctual are punished and the latecomers rewarded.

It is facile and disingenuous to throw up one’s hands and attribute being tardy to ingrained cultural traits beyond anyone’s control. It is a passive resignation which is an alibi for not doing anything and a surrender before the juggernaut of a passive culture.

The same VIPs who are both rude and late at social events are often the picture of politeness and punctuality when it is the President who has called them. This raises the question of how much being unpunctual is a matter of choice versus fixed habitual behavior.

To believe that unpunctuality is a cultural trait beyond change is an excuse for not taking action. Culture is undeniably a factor but it is surmountable.

And if tardiness is a cultural practice, it is a practice that needs to be attacked. For punctuality is an important determinant of an individual’s and a nation’s progress and growth. Simply put, chronic unfaithfulness to appointments is dishonesty and is reflective of character. When it permeates society, the damage done can be incalculable.

Attitudes towards punctuality affect interactions at school, home, office and social gatherings. Tardiness is there because it is easier, while keeping commitments requires an extra effort. And there is a presumption that no one really cares or is offended.

In Pakistan there is often a huge gap between the announced time and the intended time. Half an hour is reasonable. Two hours is not. Those who take the announced time literally suffer, much to the amusement of their peers. It has yet to be adequately recognized that achievement, success and responsibility are linked to coordination within a timeframe work.

There is also a hidden dimension. Where fortunes have been built through political patronage and cronyism, there is little incentive in observing the values of honor, merit and keeping promises.

For a nation and people to progress, an indispensable feature is respect for time. It implies consideration, discipline, self-respect and character.

An individual has the choice between being unpunctual and being punctual. It is a choice between progress and decay.